7 Reasons to plan your summer vacation in the Maldives

Imagine opening your window in the morning, and the first thing you see is an infinitely vast and beautiful blue ocean just outside. Then, as you set off for a relaxing walk on the beach, what catches your eye even more than the beautiful milky white sands is the fact that the island is dotted with far more number of coconut palms than people. Relish the thought of feasting on a culinary delight consisting of the freshest and juiciest seafood and vegetables, against a backdrop of the sun, sand, and the ocean. And when you submerge yourself into the breathtakingly exquisite coral reef to snorkel, you get greeted by a shoal of bannerfish and a giant sea turtle. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Maldives entreats you to come and enjoy an experience of a lifetime, making it one of the top 5 tropical island destinations in the world.

Here are 7 great reasons for you to head for this paradise:

beaches

1. Dreamy Islands and Beaches

Maldives

Hop onto a boat or a private seaplane for a visual treat of over a thousand stunning islands scattered within 26 ring-shaped coral reefs. Only 300 of these islands are inhabited by humans, the largest being just 8 sq. kms in area. Set your eyes on the tranquil and soothing sights to get into the mood for quiet relaxation, rejuvenation, and romance. Not just honeymooners, but also the much married have rediscovered themselves in the lap of nature here. Here are some islands worth exploring:
Villimale, Veligandu Island Beach,Bikini Beach, Bodu Mora, Vaavu Atoll.

resorts

2. Uber Luxe Resorts

The resorts in the Maldives are just as inviting as the scenery around which they are nestled. Choose one that’s on a beach or one that comes as a luxury bungalow resting on stilts and extending into the blue ocean. Most rooms in the resorts offer a picture-perfect view, so even if you are an amateur photographer, the beauty captured in your camera is sure to amaze you and your friends back home and convince them that a professional has taken the pictures. Here are a few island resorts you can consider:

3.Adventure Sports for the Adrenalin Junkies

Break the monotonous calm of the place by parasailing and get that adrenalin racing through your veins. Get a bird’s-eye view of the stunning beauty of the island, as you glide through the air. For those who have a taste for the sea, there’s jet skiing, water skiing, and knee boarding too. The list of activities in the non-extreme section include kayaking, going on a dolphin cruise, riding on a glass-bottomed boat, going on a Banana boat ride, swimming underwater with a Seabob, or even big game fishing.

water activity

4.Breathtaking Underwater Exploration

Beneath the waves lies a sunken garden of Eden - a spectacular underwater world of reefs pulsating with life, vibrant and fascinating in every angle. For some, this is the best part of being in the Maldives. And arguably so, places like Fish Head, HP Reef, Banana Reef, and Manta Point in the Maldives boast of being one of the best diving sites in the world. The water of the Indian Ocean around this region is home to over 1,100 species of fish including mantas, sharks, snappers and eels, 5 species of sea turtles, 21 species of whales and dolphins, and over 400 species of mollusks, just to name a few.
There are several options to explore the ocean. Whether it is scuba diving, snorkeling, underwater walking or taking a submarine tour that you wish to check off on your list of things to do, you will emerge to the surface after having seen the most extraordinary and up-close sights of ocean life that you may have seen only on television. Be sure that this will stay as a special memory with you for years to come.

places

5.Imposing Landmarks and Monuments

Male, the capital city has several monuments and places of interest for those who love man-made marvels . The Old Friday Mosque (Huruku Miskii) is the oldest mosque in the country dating back to the 16th century, deserving a second look for its extensive white coral stonework. On the other hand, the spotless white Grand Friday mosque is built in recent times, and represents the modern architecture of the country. Male also has a three-storied National Museum that displays some of the belongings of the Sultan of Maldives. It also showcases some ancient findings and intricate stone carvings excavated over the years. For those who wish to do some last moment shopping, there’s a local market where you can pick up some home-made sweets and pickles, and savor the beautiful memories of your holiday for many more days after returning home.

spa

6.Soothing Spas

A visit to a spa forms an integral part of the Maldivian experience simply because of the scenic natural backdrop the country provides, adding to the rejuvenating and calming experience brought about by therapeutic treatment. To add to this, some spas offer a unique experience by way of the guest getting to see fish swim underwater through a glass floor overlooking the ocean. Enjoy an exfoliating session while watching reef sharks, or get an aromatic scalp and body massage as you meet eyes with a parrot fish. Guests can also enjoy traditional Ayurvedic spa treatment more than a thousand miles away from the land of its origin.

7.Mouth-watering Food

A true holiday is supposed to satisfy all the 5 senses, including taste. So food plays an important role in any holiday. Enjoy a seafood safari, sinking your teeth into one of the freshest, tender, and vast spread of exotic seafood options. While there is Tuna to please the palate of a regular seafood lover, there’s also Octopus for the more adventurous. Coconut and rice forms a major part of the Maldivian cuisine, and finds its way into many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Vegetarians need not fear being left-out, as there are several vegetarian restaurants that offer world cuisine, including traditional Indian food, Italian, Thai, and Chinese.

places

Besides these 7 reasons, here’s one more that may convince you the most – Maldives happens to be the country with the lowest land elevation in the world. This means that at the current rate at which sea levels are rising, it is at a risk of being flooded by the sea, and is predicted by the UN’s environmental panel to be uninhabitable by the year 2100. Now that’s a solid reason to visit a place before it probably vanishes from the world map.